Button affixing means



March 9, 1954 c, KEMBER 2,671,255

BUTTON AFFIXING MEANS Filed July 24, 1951 I III/Ill INVENTOR (7 W 0. (kW/1M BY fl ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims. 1 The present invention concerns affixing means for buttons and the like.

Briefly described, said means comprise: a fe- I male or receptive part, a male part acting as a retainer, and an applicator implement. Said female part is conformed in the button to be affixed, the conformation comprising a centrally placed bi-valved orifice, the valves being of a resiliency which constantly tends to approximate one to the other. The male part comprises a compressible stem of considerable tensile strength, provided with a noncompressible, preferably solid, head at one end, and a retention flange at the other; the head being designed to go through the fabric on which the button is to be fixed, and through said bi-valved orifice. The retention flange serves to limit the travel of said stem through said fabric. The applicator implement serving, temporarily, to give rigidity to said compressible stem for the purpose of inserting said head through said fabric and said orifice. The fixation of said button on said stem is accomplished, when said applicator is removed, by a constricting or collapsing of said stem by said valves, below said noncompressible head.

Amongst other, the invention provides the following characteristic advantages:

(a) Simplicity.The simplicity of its component parts and mechanism, not only ofier the advantage of applicability by nonskilled hands,

but also that of economical production, especially so in plastic materials.

(b) Time saving.-The ease and rapidity with which it is applicable, signifies that many thousands more, of buttons, can be applied in a given time, than with the traditional needle and thread. This, especially when producing great quantities of uniforms, or such, under stress of emergency, is a great advantage.

(0) Reliability.-The tensile or retractile resistance of the material, for instance a plastic such as one of the nylon group, of which said compressible stem can be made, may be such as will far surpass that of the usual thread used for button sewing, with its tendency to break and become untied. Ordinarily, the attachment of a button is, at least, an extra chore and, at times, a source of embarrassment; but in emergency conditions, such an incident can be the cause of much annoyance, especially so to men, in the armed forces for instance, who are usually not dexterious with needle and thread. Any button detachment, when the herein described fixing means are applied, is hardly apt to take place.

(d) AppZicability.-These aflixing means are suitable not only for large, but also for small buttons, such as used on underclothing, for example.

(e) Ec0nomy.-The advantage of economy will be manifest in three different ways: (1) loss of buttons, if it occurs, will be in such a reduced number as to be of no practical significance; (2) it will save on thread, which in present times in many parts of the world, is a scarce and expensive commodity; (3) it will save through less expense in labor.

Other advantages and/or benefits attainable through the use of this invention, wil1 become apparent in the course of the following specification illustrated through six figures, showing, by way of example, one embodiment of the device.

Fig. l is a frontal view of a button provided with the female conformation corresponding to this. device.

Fig. 2 is a broken off, center part, sectional view through line 22 of the button represented in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal diametric sectional elevation of a male part example of the device.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal diametric sectional elevation of one of the possible types of applicator to be used with the male part illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation showing the corresponding positions of the female, male and applicator parts, of the example given, when the male part has been forced through the fabric and through the button by means of the applicator; this applicator being shown still in place. And finally Fig. 6 shows how the female and male parts retain each other.

In the illustrations, same reference characters indicate same or corresponding parts. In all cases, reference a indicates the female part; reference I), the male part; reference 0, the applicator; and rference d, the fabric.

As can be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, female or receptive part a, in this case, is a circular disc I, with a centrally located figure H cut, or cleft, reference 2. Said cleft 2, forms a pair of valves 3, of a resiliency which, when at rest, keeps them close to each other, and otherwise causes said valves to perform as grasping or seizing means for anything interposed.

Male or retaining part b, Fig. 3, comprises, in this example, a hollow compressible stem 4, which is transversely collapsible, and provided with a 3 solid cylindro-conical head 5 at one end, and a retention flange 6 at the other end. The shape of male part b is such that all longitudinal diametric sections show the same elevation as that of Fig. 3.

The dimensions of male part b are variable with the type of button and fabric; for this reason, stem 4, which is to supplant the strands of thread used to secure a button, may range down to less than one-eighth of an inch in diameter.

Applicator c, for this example, comprises a solid stem or finger I and a limitation disc 8. The shape and dimensions of stem 1, structured in substantially rigid material, is such as will correspond exactly to hollow 4 in stem 4. Limitation disc or plate 8 determines the exact length to which stem 1 may penetrate said hollow.

Operation Given the place where a button a is to be applied to a fabric d, applicator c is inserted into male part b, and this combination of parts 1) plus c is forced first through fabric d and then through cleft '2 of button a, from the rear to the front face of said button, as is shown in Fig. -5.

The passing of part 1) .plus a .through cleft 2 is possible 'due to the overpowering of the resiliency of valves 3 by the .force used for affixing the button, which force separates valves as is shown in said Fig. .5.

On removing applicator c from male part b, without dislodging this from its position in cleft 2, the resiliency of valves 3 transversely collapses compressible hollow stem 4 below head '5 and thereby locks the male and female parts together, as is shown in Fig. -6.

Undoubtedly in carrying this invention into practice, other modifications concerning details of construction and/or shape .of this affixing means for buttons and the like may be introduced, such as using a non-hollow yet compressible, stretch-resistantiand constrictable stem, with a non-compressible head on one end, and a retaining flange on theother; which male embodiment would be applied covered :by means of a thimble like thin rigid sheath to be extracted from .the assemblyfrom theface and through the button being aflixed; yet this embodiment does not imply a departure from the fundamental principles characterizing the invention of which the illustrated and described embodiment is to serve, as said,.only by way of example.

In fine, the invention provides an improvement applicable to button afiixing systems comprising a button having receptive seizing means and a button retaining member; the system being assembled by an applicator implement; and the principles governing the invention are embodied ina said retainercomprising a compressible stem of great .tensile strength, a substantially noncompressible head on one end ofsaid stem anda retention flange on the other end-0f said stem; said compressihlestemibemgconstrictable and/or collapsible .by said seizing means in said'b'utton.

I do not claim broadly a female part as herein described, since I am aware that such has been heretofore made and used in different fields of mechanical science, as a fixing means operating with an especially grooved rigid stem, nor do I make any claim to the applicator implement itself, but, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, are especially the characteristics governing the male part used in said system, as I clearly specify in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a button having an aperture and gripping means on the sides thereof, a button retaining member comprising a compressible non-resilient hollow stem adapted to be passed through an aperture in the fabric to which the button is aflixed, the hollow stem being adapted for the reception of an applicator, said retaining member including a non-compressible head at one end and a retaining flange at the other end, said gripping means compressing said stem below said "head to retain the same in said aperture and the button on the fabric to which it is affixed.

2. In combination with a button having an aperture and gripping means on the sides thereof. a button retaining member comprising a compressible non-resilient hollow stem adapted to be passed through an aperture in the fabric to which the button is afiixed, the hollow stem being adapted for the reception of an applicator, said retaining member including a non-compressible head at one end and a retaining flange at the other end, said gripping means compressing said stem below said head to retain the same in said aperture and the button on the fabric to which it is afiixed, said stem comprising moldable plastic material.

3. In combination with a button having an aperture and gripping means on the sides thereof, a button retaining member comprising a-compressible non-resilient hollow stem adapted to be passed through an aperture in the fabric to which the button is affixed, the hollow stem being adapted for the reception of an applicator, said retaining member including a non-compressible head at one end and a retaining flange at the other end, said grippig means compressing said stem below said head to retain the same in said aperture and the button on the fabric to which it is affixed, said stem comprising moldable plastic material, said button being comprised of resilient material and said aperture comprising an -H- shaped slot forming a pair of oppositely disposed tongues, said tongues comprising the means for compressing said stem below said head.

FEDERICO C. KEMBER.

References :Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

